Ken Paxton said GOP convention hurt his polling numbers
Texas AG's private remarks were revealed in leaked audio obtained by The New York Times.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Ken Paxton admitted 'everybody's numbers dropped' after GOP midterm convention: report
Photograph: Internewscast (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton privately stated that the recent GOP convention in Dallas caused a drop in his polling numbers, according to audio obtained by The New York Times.
- Paxton campaign adviser Nick Maddux called the report 'manipulated nonsense' and claimed internal polls showed Paxton leading.
- President Trump is scheduled to visit Texas this week for a campaign event.
- Paxton is in a competitive race against state Representative James Talarico.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 11 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 1 of the 12 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
50/100
Craft
61/100
Hype
68/100
12 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
Only 1 of the 11 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton privately told donors and lobbyists that the Republican party's convention in Dallas had harmed his polling numbers. Audio of these remarks was obtained by The New York Times. Paxton is currently in a close race against state Representative James Talarico.
Paxton campaign response
Paxton campaign adviser Nick Maddux dismissed the New York Times report as 'manipulated nonsense'. Maddux stated that their internal poll, conducted the previous week, showed Paxton leading by three points. He added that 'every serious pollster' would indicate an improvement in the Republican's position since early September. Maddux also noted that Ken Paxton looks forward to closing the race strongly, including alongside President Trump's upcoming visit to Texas.
What the coverage left out
None of the left-rated digests mention the specific polling data or the name of the campaign adviser, Nick Maddux, who responded to the report. None of the centre-rated digests mention the specific polling data or the name of the campaign adviser, Nick Maddux, who responded to the report. The right-rated digest does not mention the specific polling data or the name of the campaign adviser, Nick Maddux, who responded to the report.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 5 times, most recently on 30 Sept 2026, 14:00, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
5 rated outlets
- Left-rated reports focused on Ken Paxton's private criticism of the GOP convention and its impact on his campaign. Headlines and digests highlighted Paxton 'dissing' or 'trashing' Trump's convention, with some noting it was a 'shocking confession' and a 'break from the Texas attorney general's public image as one of the president's most devoted loyalists'. The reports noted the audio was leaked and obtained by The New York Times. Several mentioned Paxton's race against James Talarico and President Trump's upcoming visit to Texas.
Centre
5 rated outlets
- Centre-rated reports highlighted Ken Paxton's private admission that the GOP convention hurt his polling numbers, as revealed by The New York Times. The digests noted that Paxton is in a tight race against Democrat James Talarico. The reports also included the response from Paxton's campaign adviser, Nick Maddux, who called the leaked audio 'manipulated nonsense' and asserted that internal polls showed Paxton leading. President Trump's scheduled appearance in Texas was also mentioned.
Right
1 rated outlet
- The right-rated report led with Ken Paxton's admission that 'everybody's numbers dropped' after the GOP midterm convention, citing a report. It also mentioned that Paxton faces Democrat James Talarico in a tight race.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Ken Paxton said GOP convention hurt his polling numbers?
- Of the 11 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 46% are rated left, 45% are rated centre, 9% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 12. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Ken Paxton said GOP convention hurt his polling numbers left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 11 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Ken Paxton said GOP convention hurt his polling numbers biased?
- Ken Paxton said GOP convention hurt his polling numbers is one event reported by 12 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Ken Paxton said GOP convention hurt his polling numbers?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Ken Paxton said GOP convention hurt his polling numbers?
- 12 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What did Ken Paxton say about the GOP convention?
- According to leaked audio obtained by The New York Times, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton privately told donors and lobbyists that the recent GOP convention in Dallas hurt his polling numbers, stating 'Everybody's numbers dropped'.
- How did Ken Paxton's campaign respond to the leaked audio?
- Paxton campaign adviser Nick Maddux dismissed the report as 'manipulated nonsense' and claimed their internal polls showed Paxton leading. He stated that 'every serious pollster' would indicate an improvement in the Republican's position.
- Who is Ken Paxton running against in the Senate race?
- Ken Paxton is in a close Senate race against state Representative James Talarico, who is seeking to become the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Texas since 1988.
- Is President Trump involved in the Texas race?
- President Trump is scheduled to appear in Texas this week for a campaign event. His campaign aims to help Republican candidates win and preserve GOP control of the House and Senate.
Read it at the source
12 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
5- Leaked Audio Shows Paxton Dissing Trump's Convention (opens Mediaite in a new tab)
- Paxton Blames Trump’s Convention For His “Numbers” (opens Joe.My.God. in a new tab)
Joe.My.God. — is Joe.My.God. biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Secret recording catches Ken Paxton privately trashing Trump’s convention: NYT (opens Raw Story in a new tab)
- Must-Win MAGA Senate Candidate Caught Secretly Trashing Trump (opens The Daily Beast in a new tab)
The Daily Beast — is The Daily Beast biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Paxton privately trashed Trump’s midterm convention: leaked audio (opens Alternet in a new tab)
Centre
5- Embattled Republican makes stinging admission against Trump: ‘It dropped our numbers’ (opens Cleveland in a new tab)
- Embattled Republican makes stinging admission against Trump: ‘It dropped our numbers’ (opens Michigan Live in a new tab)
Michigan Live — is Michigan Live biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Texas AG Ken Paxton Says Everyone’s Numbers Fell After GOP Convention (opens Internewscast in a new tab)
Internewscast — is Internewscast biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Ken Paxton backstabs Trump in leaked audio recording (opens dailymail.com in a new tab)
dailymail.com — is dailymail.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Ken Paxton Privately Said Trump’s Convention Hurt Him (opens Political Wire in a new tab)
Political Wire — is Political Wire biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
1Not rated
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